Courtyard University Medical Center Charlottesville

Left Huntersville heading up 77N - 81N toward Virginia Wine Country in the aftermath of hurricane Ida. Quick stop at the Va state line was worth it - great maps. <br><br>Our first winery stop was Rockbridge Vineyard - exit 205. Absolutely wonderful. Not a glitzy new tasting room but very enjoyable. Hard to believe our favorite wines on the tasting were the $10 wines; St Mary's Blanc (Vidal Blanc ...

... site: some would say "the birthplace of the nation". This is where the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to the Yankee General Ulysses Grant, which effectively signalled the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. Visiting it helped us put together the various strands of knowledge we had been laboriously piecing together since arriving on the East Coast and we now feel that we have a much better understanding of the key ...

... food, especially breakfast. Got some salmon hash that came like eggs benedict. IT WAS AMAZING!!!! First night we went to Fellini's and had a bottle of wine. It was really nice!! Definitely partied hard with these guys, although I could not really keep up. Had a blast. On the way down to Duck we stopped by his friend Stephen's. <br>

<br>As we left Albany driving towards Charlottesville, i kept thinking how absurd it is that I have yet to ramble in my own backyard. I've lived in New York for years and yet, I've never traveled south of Philadelphia! Our first stop was Shepardstown, a beautiful college town with

... a senior (or a 4th year, as UVA people call it). The Lawn Committee selects super involved students who are the leaders of the senior class. In between the rooms are 8 pavillions where deans and vice presidents live. <br><br>I was thinking that Dean Pianta probably doesn't actually live in the pavillion and that he must have another mansion somewhere in the woods in ...

... others&#8217; experiences and bounce ideas off locals was hugely beneficial. I can&#8217;t say enough good things about Trip Advisor. <br><br>I also purchased the following items: a Blackberry 8830 World Edition phone (capable of being used in Europe with the correct SIM card), the correct SIM card purchased from Alltel, an HP &#8220;Mini&#8221; netbook computer, a Canon Digital Rebel XSi camera, a fisheye lens and various batteries and ...

... Dooz spotted them. He went nuts. He made sounds and growls and barks that we had never heard before trying to get out of the jeep to the deer. The predator in him definitely came out. Right before that little episode, Jeff got pulled over by a state park sherriff! He was apparently doing 48 in a 35. He was issued a warning thankfully and no ticket, but the warning stays in effect in all VA state parks for 10 years...so we have to be careful before we exit the state ...

... at our usual Wendy's in Manassas, Va (were we always stop on I-66) and decided that the National Park just wasn't going to be a good idea for today.  So we pulled out the I-Phone and started looking for other activities to keep us busy till about 6pm, which was when our friends were expecting us.  <br><br>We picked a new route, route 29...it was a great scenic drive from Manasas to Charlottesville!  We ...

... about our 3rd president. For example, he maintained a daily journal of the weather at Monticello (temperature and wind) which has been an invaluable source of climatological data for the region. Also did you know that Thomas Jefferson was the one you proposed that the USA use Spain's dollar monetary system vice the British pound/shilling system...I did not until now. Sadly although he was the President of the US, Thomas ...